Desperate for relief

Six-year-old Emerald Henry has suffered from severe asthma attacks since he was only two years old, but his family is desperate to get him relief. The burning of waste has now become a daily occurrence in the Thompson Town community in Clarendon and has started to worsen the young boy’s condition.

The six-year-old has been hospitalised multiple times in recent months because of persistent burning of garbage and other materials in the community. While laws that address these issues exist, his mother, Tayila Gregory-Henry, is calling for the authorities to implement stronger laws against indiscriminate burning.

For 15 years, Gregory-Henry and her family, including her mother, Vanda Black, have lived in Thompson Town, and Black says that illegal burning is nothing new, as residents burn any and everything withinin arms’ reach, to control the garbage build-up whenever there has been no garbage collection for months.

Gregory-Henry also said that the increased frequency of the burning, and the thick smoke polluting the atmosphere and invading their home, forces them to keep the windows and doors shut for the majority of the time.

“Every time they burn, it triggers his asthma. I have to keep him locked inside,” she said. Emerald sometimes had to stop playing in the yard and would run inside for protection from smoke. But, even then, that doesn’t prevent the smoke from seeping in and stifling the family. They’re forced to take extreme measures, such as wearing masks in their own homes.

While dust and severe cold weather also affect Emerald, Gregory-Henry said inhaling smoke has been taking a toll on her son more frequently than other environmental factors.

Black recalled how often Emerald has been to the hospital in the past year.

“He’s been admitted nearly every month, in January and February. He went to the doctor two times since March alone,” she said.

SEVERE EPISODE

The most severe episode, Black says, occurred in 2023 when Emerald suffered from a life-threatening attack that left him struggling to breathe and even turning him blue because of the lack of oxygen.

At the time, burning was not as frequent but it was still a nuisance.

“That was the worst,” Black recalled. “He started to lose colour. As soon he comes down with an attack, we have to rush him to the hospital, and he’s always there for a week.”

Nearly an hour away from the May Pen Hospital, the residents of Thompson Town face a challenge with scarce public transportation. Gregory-Henry says that she often faces the difficulty of chartering a taxi to go back and forth, especially at night.

Expenses have since haunted the pockets of Emerald’s mother, who not only has to cover medical bills and travel expenses but also suffers from missing work and losing sleep while Emerald misses out on school after spending days at a time in the hospital.

Although asthma attacks do not always force little Emerald to be admitted to the hospital, they do prevent him from attending school regularly, sometimes only going two or three times and staying home the rest of the week.

“In the days, I have to find transportation for someone to go and stay with him and monitor him. Sometimes I have to go to work and then leave work, spend the night there at the hospital, and go back to work in the morning. Sometimes it even affects my work,” said Gregory-Henry.

LACK OF COLLECTION

Last week Sunday, Gregory-Henry said that the thickness of the smoke was so severe that she had to rush over to a neighbour’s yard to beg them to kill the fire. However, what she didn’t expect was to be met with the stench of burning flesh.

The neighbour had been burning a dead dog, claiming that there was no other way to get rid of the carcass, not even by burying it.

Since then, fires upon fires have been ablaze daily.

“People burn garbage because the truck doesn’t come often enough,” Black explained. “But, even when it does, some still choose to burn their waste instead of disposing it properly. They have big dump heaps, and many of the homes are big breeding sites because the heap has every kind of garbage you can think of.”

The impact of the burning, however, goes beyond Emerald’s asthma. Gregory-Henry also suffers from severe sinus issues which are often affected by the polluted air.

“I have to wear a mask inside my own home,” she said. “If I inhale the smoke, I end up having severe sinus attacks. Sometimes I have to lock myself in, just like I have to lock him inside as well.”

Dr Danielle Thompson, district medical officer for the St James Health Department, weighed in on the dangers of smoke inhalation, particularly for children with asthma.

“Children living with asthma are particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of smoke inhalation,” she explained. “The burning of waste materials and other substances, including tobacco, releases harmful irritants into the atmosphere, such as fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and volatile organic compounds.”

For children affected by asthma, inhaling smoke containing these pollutants can trigger severe asthma attacks, with symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.

“Due to their smaller airways and developing respiratory systems, children are more susceptible to airway inflammation and bronchial constriction, which makes it more difficult for them to breathe and recover from respiratory distress,” Thompson added.

URGENT ACTION NEEDED

Long-term exposure to these airborne pollutants has also been linked to reduced pulmonary function, chronic respiratory diseases, and an increased risk of infections, particularly for children and others in the at-risk population.

The family is calling for the relevant authorities to enforce the laws that govern open burning and garbage collection services and implement stricter penalties.

“We need urgent action,” Gregory-Henry pleaded. “Jamaica is supposed to be a place where people can raise their families, work, and live, but it is uncomfortable in this community.”

In response to the situation, Audley Gordon, executive director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), immediately forbade open burning.

Astonished, Gordon said that, on receiving this news, he was immediately in correspondence with Sheldon Smith, the south regional operations manager, who reported that he spoke with the enforcement team for the Thompson Town area, who were scheduled to visit yesterday regarding the open burning. An attempt was made to seek an update on that arrangement but there was no response.

With Councillor Colin Henry reportedly telling Gordon that he was also unaware of the nuisance, Gordon emphasised the importance of community members following the laws on open burning.

Open burning without permission is an illegal activity and is prohibited under the Country Fires Act and the Public Health (Nuisance) Regulations. If caught, the penalty is a maximum fine of $50,000 in the parish court.

“We ask people in the area, such as the local council, to keep an eye out and report any instances of illegal burning,” Gordon said. “We discourage open burning, as it is harmful to everyone, including those involved in the process. We urge the community to find better ways to manage waste, such as composting, which can create rich soil and reduce the need for burning.”

While Gordon suggested actively promoting better solid waste management practices and encouraged residents to engage in recycling and waste-to-cash programmes, he also said the NSWMA and the regional authorities stand ready to assist and work with the government to increase communication efforts and improve waste management across the island.

Meanwhile, residents claim that garbage is collected monthly and sometimes quarterly.

Smith, however, said, “We do our best to be there on a weekly basis but, worst-case scenario, bi-weekly. I’ve also requested a new contracted unit for that area, which will improve our collection.”

He said the area was being cleaned on Wednesday morning. However, the team encountered issues when the truck developed mechanical problems. The team’s return date was unconfirmed.

mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com